Alter A.I.L.A. Genesis

It's been awhile since I've been able to sit down with an RM game from start to finish like this... Well, that's kind of a lie (Exit Fate was the last), but it is still very uncommon. I'd hate to throw out the classic indirect insult "This is one of the few RM games that can keep my attention" but... this is one of the few RM games that can keep my attention. But don't let the former fool you, this has been an enjoyable game, but one riddled with sometimes mind boggling flaws.

The gameplay itself does everything it can to do away with the traditional jRPG systems. It's welcome to see more effort being made into deviating from the traditional "Attack - Magic - Defend - Item" command list, but I fear the whole approach is a bit convoluted and difficult to pick up at first. Typically, as the game progresses (any game) you're introduced into the mechanics gradually until, by a certain point, you find yourself comfortable and actively using all of the mechanics presented.

In this game, however - you're thrown everything at once, and you're expected to be adept with these mechanics as quickly as the third boss... Roughly an hour or so into the game. This is not eased by the limitations of the engine he is using, as crucial information such as active field effects and EX count are not visible (Field effects) or obscured and tiny (EX count).

I could go into detail explaining what I just said, but that would make this far more rambling than this needs to be, so I'll just give you the abridged version. You need both AP and EX points in order to execute skills, AP is easily visible, but the EX count is marked with tiny squares above the character portrait. Field effects effect the flow of battle. Some can damage over time, some can heal, some can nullify EX gain... If this all sounds confusing, it's because it is. In game (namely during bosses), not only do you have to react to enemies who (often times) attack all at once, leaving you little time to react, you have to keep your HP up, watch your AP, watch your EX count, and watch the conditions of your foes by selecting them. Its really not that bad once you get the hang of it, but the engine really makes it difficult to approach.

Ultimately, the system is well thought out and strategic, but held back by how RPG maker does things, the author would have done well remembering the limitations of the engine he's using: Still... Status conditions matter, attack types are varied and useful in their own way, despite it's limitations, and the pacing of battles in general is very good.(barring instances where enemies all attack at once). Combat items (such as grenades) are hilariously overpowered, but serve as a very welcome easy way out of difficult boss battles (like the security wall).

Aside from the battles, there's little else to talk about in the gameplay department aside from the field gameplay. The sideview perspective is another bold move the game makes, but again; I feel the execution could have been far better. The animation for the character(s) running is a bit stiff, but that's the least of the field gameplay's problems.

Perspective... The perspective is just outright disorienting. You could find yourself walking down into a door at one point, then suddenly you're walking down a hallway do your right. It gives all of the areas a disconnected feel and eventually, you just find yourself running around aimlessly hoping to find the proper way to go. I don't know, it's kind of ridiculous that I have to say this; but when I walk DOWN into a door, I should appear in the next room, infront of a door. Not suddenly walking to my right down a narrow hallway, with NO DOOR IN SIGHT. Other than that, there's not much else to say. You can jump over small gaps while running over them, you can climb down ladders, hit buttons, and interact with objects very easily thanks to the arrow indicators telling you what you can and can't interact with. The early maps lack variety, but that's all on that.


The story itself was interesting enough for me to care about opening up the game time and time again despite being dickpunched by seemingly impossible bosses at times. The hand drawn style cutscenes are quickly elegantly executed. Well use of sound and scrolling makes the game come alive however, there are a few small things about the story and the character inconsistencies that bugged me, but I found myself entertained. I don't want to call it bad, average of MIND BLOWING, but It can certainly use a bit of editing and proof reading. I'll spare you the pedantic details but I will state that I wish Leon would act a little less like a lamp post.

I have praised this game's music selection in the past, and my opinion of it has remained the same. The musical selection uses ripped media from a variety of uncommon sources, giving the game a fresh sound with the exception of some annoying, grating and at a few times out of place themes. (The arena theme... Ugh...)

I'm terrible at writing reviews (Practice makes perfect... and I have maybe written 5 reviews ever) so I'll wrap things up with a few hackneyed bullet points.

I liked :
Battle System
Hand drawn cutscenes
Visual polish
Side Scrolling perspective

I disliked :
Battle System learning curve
Stiff running animations

I HATED :
Side scrolling navigation
SHOCK EMISSION (IF you see the name "Shock emission" appear at the top of the screen, just save yourself some time and fucking hit F12, ok?)
Tournament theme

Things I wrote down while playing :

- Odd level design - doors change direction you're going in : disorienting

- Dread = Worthless

- ... another tournament?

-After using 3x Shock Sparks, 3 boss enemies die only after one fires a laser off.

- Atk Crush has no visible affect on Rebel Gunner... Whoopie


Bottom Line : Give it a shot, even if you're terrible at RPGs. If you give it enough time and effort, it'll reward you with a fun and interesting experience.